


Kitty In The Sun

by Quarra, xantissa



Series: No Wolves Allowed [17]
Category: Castlevania Lords of Shadow と 宿命の魔鏡 | Castlevania: Lords of Shadow & Mirror of Fate, Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: Background Dracula/Geralt/Alucard, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dracula is a bit of a creeper, Fluff, It just keeps going, Kissing, M/M, Marking, Possessive Behavior, Slow Burn, The slow burn continues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:47:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27167465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quarra/pseuds/Quarra, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xantissa/pseuds/xantissa
Summary: Eskel is trying to take a nap in a patch of warm sunlight. Dracula can’t stop creeping on him. The situation turns into a net win for them both.
Relationships: Gabriel Belmont | Dracula/Eskel (The Witcher)
Series: No Wolves Allowed [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1195675
Comments: 30
Kudos: 147





	Kitty In The Sun

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Quarra: This fic was inspired by [ this amazing art on tumblr](https://quarra.tumblr.com/post/187163467401/crystalvfae-commission-for-theashenphoenix-of). It’s so damn pretty, you should totally check it out.
> 
> Thanks to all of you who are still eagerly awaiting updates. Your continued enthusiasm makes both Xantiss and I ridiculously happy.
> 
> Again, a huge thanks to our beta reader, [Dira Sudis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dsudis/pseuds/Dira%20Sudis), who is the bestest and we love her.

Summer was a problem.

The warm season had barely started here on Geralt’s world, and Dracula already hated it.

The days were insufferably long and the warm, golden sunbeams tended to sneak in through every window and every crack. Dracula found himself retreating to his vast castle for most of the insufferably bright days. 

He was surprised to find how unaccustomed he’d become to solitary existence. He’d gotten used to the movement and sound of living people, Vesemir arguing with the demons, and the occasional spat when somebody felt like they weren’t getting their share of witcher sex. The newly quieter halls left Dracula feeling grumpy and restless, wanting something that he couldn’t name. Alucard escaped his changing moods to his ever shadowy Castlevania Tower, leaving the witchers on the mercy of Dracula’s temper. Sure, he’d _said_ that he and Geralt had reached an accord, where both would see to their duties for the summer so that they might both have free time to join Dracula in the off season, but Dracula knew a strategic retreat when he saw one. 

Even though it was their season for hunting on the Path, both Geralt and Eskel had been stopping by Kaer Morhen with relative frequency. Lambert was a less frequent visitor, but he still occasionally passed through. 

With that in mind, Dracula found himself wandering through the cool, stone halls of Kaer Morhen. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to actually talk to anyone, but restlessness and mild curiosity drove him to seeing who was around.

His sex demons were keeping themselves occupied as they were wont to do. Vesemir appeared to be out, perhaps hunting or maybe just spending time with Orlaith. There didn’t appear to be any witchers from other schools wandering around, something that happened now from time to time. But from the scent of the halls and kitchen, Eskel was here somewhere.

The angle of the sun and the height of the keep meant there was a nice, deep shadow in front of the keep. Dracula paced under the worn walls, looking at the old cracks and still visible damages to structure. He had to narrow his eyes against the glare when he looked out into the courtyard, where the sun shone mercilessly on the rough stones and patchy lawn. Further to the left there was Vesemir’s herb garden, neat rows of herbs and vegetables marching like soldiers along the raised beds. Here and there were hastily covered holes from what he knew was Night's too-enthusiastic hunting of moles. It was hilarious how the demon horse thought that covering up the holes she dug with random bits of rubble would make it invisible.

Beyond that there were three lines of old fruit trees. They were old enough they didn’t produce much fruit anymore, but they had flowered like mad this year so perhaps the yield would improve.

The air was filled with incessant, mad buzzing of the insects. The little line of beehives under the far wall weren’t visible from behind the wild grassess but Dracula could hear the buzzing of them from where he was. The air was thick with natural perfumes. The flowers in the garden, the fruit trees and even the vegetable plants; everything served to fill the air with a myriad of sweet, almost cloying scents that seemed to be made all the more powerful by the everpresent heat. 

The breeze shifted, and Dracula caught the faint scent of Eskel under the aroma of heat and herbs. The witcher was in the garden somewhere. That wasn’t particularly unusual in and of itself. All the Wolf witchers gathered from the garden at need, but they didn’t often linger or only did so under Vesemir’s supervision and instruction. 

When Dracula didn’t see any movement, he decided to change his vantage point. He went further left, climbing the crumbled stairs leading to the battlements that were destroyed a long time ago. Almost like magic, the grassess shifted and he could see the grassy grounds between the flowering trees and the familiar witcher stretched out amongst the dappled shade.

Eskel was laid out with one arm flung casually up over his head. His red and black studded leather jacket was left open in the front, revealing a plain cream colored shirt underneath. His other hand had casually rucked up that thin shirt, showing off just a bit of skin to the persistent sunrays, and his fingers just barely dipped into the waistline of his leather pants. His eyes were closed, and his swords were next to him on the ground, within easy reach. Heat seemed to radiate off of him, he looked so warm and relaxed in the dappled sunlight. The scent of him coiled in with the flowers, playful and mouthwatering. Just enough to make Dracula lean forward a touch to try and catch another breath of it. Under the soft rustling of the fruit trees and the gentle hum of bees in the garden, was the soft _thump, thump_ of Eskel’s heart, steady and even.

He looked so relaxed, so delectable, like a morsel ready to eat. Dracula touched his lips briefly, remembering the taste of Eskel’s blood, the bewilderment and easy submission that had coiled on his tongue, and the soft potential of it. Now, looking so warmed up and relaxed, Eskel looked like a well-sunned cat and Dracula just needed to know if he would purr if he was petted right now. 

Dracula hated the sun, hated how it felt on his skin, what it meant, but there was no power in this world that would stop him from reaching out to _touch_ right now. 

\--

Eskel was finally warm. So warm. His skin was gently tingling where the sun heated it up, his muscles soft and relaxed, making him almost sink into the earth beneath him. The air was loud with the buzz of insects. The soft rustling of grass buffeted him from all sides.

With the half-finished bond with Alucard still looming over him, Eskel was always cold now. Where once he cursed summertime for forcing him to sweat his ass off in his leather armor, now he was thrilled to death to have the hot sun beat down on him. 

He’d stopped by Kaer Morhen after only a few days out hunting in hopes that perhaps Alucard or Dracula would be around. But as the weather grew warmer and the days grew longer, Alucard had disappeared from the keep. Perhaps it was the deadly sunlight he was avoiding. Or maybe it was Eskel. It was hard to say. 

It didn’t matter much. Eskel had enough coin to last him a good long while, and with his armor and weapons being such good quality and in good repair, he wasn’t in need of anything right this moment. So he could afford to be picky about his jobs and take a few extra days here at the keep. 

When it looked like the day would be a hot one -- the first real scorcher of the season -- Eskel couldn’t resist going out to the garden to nap a while. He’d had fine thoughts of sitting in the orchard and making a few potions, but that had quickly fallen by the wayside. The sun felt too good.

The grass was soft under him and the lingering scent of herbs filled the air, especially the mints. Eskel had no idea why Vesemir thought they needed so many varieties, but he had to admit he liked how it all smelled. Especially with the hot sun baking the leaves into extra fragrance. He’d left his swords out next to him out of habit, but Eskel wasn’t really worried about danger. Kaer was safe. It had been for years, and now with Dracula’s castle and power around them it was doubly so. 

Time stretched endlessly, and the sun baked away his persistent chill and the ache from every old scar he’d picked up. Sleep made the world a little fuzzy as he dozed under the gently shushing trees. 

Suddenly, the temperature dropped across his legs and belly, waking up a stampede of tiny shivers as his skin cooled down rapidly. He opened his eyes, squinting a little as his eyes adjusted to the light.

Standing above him was Dracula.

In full sun, his red and gold coat was all but gleaming in the sun, black hair falling softly over his shoulders.

Eskel blinked, his mind taking a long time to process the sight before him. Once he did, his heart skipped and then burst into full gallop, thundering as he realized that Dracula was standing _in full sunlight_.

He launched up, grabbing two fistfulls of Dracula’s coat and dragging him down to the ground, rolling them over and making sure he was looming over Dracula’s chest and head.

“What are you doing?!” he yelped, frantically looking around for something to cover Dracula’s face and open chest.

Dracula stared at Eskel with wide eyes. His confusion at the situation was plain. Eskel grew even more concerned that there was some kind of damage he wasn’t seeing.

“Dracula?”

“What are you doing?” Dracula asked quietly.

“Trying to get you out of the sun!” Eskel said, still worried. Maybe he should just pick Dracula up and carry him back inside. Some small, rational part of his brain reminded him that Dracula couldn’t actually die from being in the sunlight. But he did know that Dracula _hated_ it like poison. There was also the unsettling fact that Dracula categorized pain differently than a human, or even a witcher, did. There were loads of things that Eskel wouldn’t die from but he still qualified as torture. No fucking way was he going to let Dracula get hurt like that. Not if he could stop it.

There wasn’t anything around that Eskel could cover him up with. Nothing except himself, anyways. He urged Dracula’s vulnerable looking hands up under his jacket, and shifted himself so that his own head blocked the sun shining on Dracula’s face. 

“Are you crazy?” Eskel asked quietly, feeling both annoyed and concerned. “You don’t need to be out here. You could have called me or something!”

Dracula shifted, making himself comfortable under Eskel and in no hurry to get up. “I liked how you looked.”

Eskel forced himself to take a breath and calm down. Dracula was _fine_. Maybe he was an idiot for letting himself feel awful for no reason, but he was fine. Eskel settled into place a little, still making sure to keep as much sun off of Dracula as possible. He moved his arms up to frame Dracula’s head, and shook his head.

“Gonna give me heart problems,” he grumbled, shifting closer, just a hair's breadth away from trying to hide Dracula’s face in his chest.

Dracula shifted his hands, sliding them under Eskel’s jacket and putting them against Eskel’s sides.

“If I give you heart problems, I promise to fix them.” Dracula’s hair was spread over the grass like a pool of shadows. His face looked different now that it was so exposed in the bright light; it looked thinner, younger. Their relative positions had changed something about Eskel’s perception, as well. He’d never looked down at Dracula before, not this way, not with him staring up at Eskel with eyes still soft with surprise.

Eskel huffed out an exasperated laugh, and shook his head a little. “Alright.”

Slowly, the heat from the sun seeped into his back, relaxing him almost against his will. Knowing that Dracula wasn’t hurting went a long way towards easing the tension out of him as well. 

He shifted enough to touch Dracula’s spread hair. It was so smooth and warm under his fingers. Dracula was always warm, but this felt different. He turned his attention to Dracula’s face, using just the tips of his fingers to push the strands away from his eyes and forehead. Something strangely tender bloomed in his chest when he thought about how similar Dracula and Alucard were in that regard. They both were used to walking around with half their hair in their eyes. That sort of thing would have driven Eskel batshit crazy within a day. 

Dracula’s eyelids fluttered half closed under the careful touch, but did not close completely. He watched Eskel with dark eyes, letting Eskel touch him, and never once flinching away.

Dracula spread his hands out until the tips of his fingers inched under Eskel’s shirt.

A little shiver raced up Eskel’s body, despite the heat. Gods, but those hands felt nice. Part of it was the skin craving that his bond with Alucard had gifted him with, but part was just because he found he liked Dracula’s hands on him.

Eskel leaned his face forward a little and took a breath in, inhaling in Dracula’s scent. He loved that smell of burning embers, though he would have never guessed that of himself a year and a half ago.

“You can put your hands under my shirt,” Eskel said very quietly. Dracula’s movements had been sneaky, sly almost. They didn’t need to be. The skin contact was very nice, and everywhere Dracula touched him felt blissfully warm and tingly.

“Really,” Dracula purred, a smirk tugging at his lips. His fingers slid a little deeper under Eskel’s shirt, rucking it up higher and he flattened his hands against his sides, obviously tracing Eskel’s muscles. He looked very pleased with himself and the groping he was performing.

It made Eskel want to both snicker and roll his eyes, though he held himself back to just a little smile. Of course Dracula would use the invitation as an excuse to leer at him. It just so happened that Eskel didn’t mind the feel of Dracula’s light tracing. 

The sun was still gloriously warm on his back, and now Dracula was spread out nicely under him. He wanted to bury his face in Dracula’s neck and cuddle in, but he loathed the idea of leaving even an inch of Dracula’s skin exposed to the light. 

He loved how soft Dracula looked, though. That dark hair spread out on the grass, and red eyes almost a charcoal grey in Eskel’s shadow. He gently trailed a finger down Dracula’s jaw, just enjoying how the touch felt, the contrast of soft skin and the rough, short facial hair around his mouth. The rasp of the short hairs against his thumb fascinated him, as did the incredible smoothness of skin beyond.

Eskel shifted a little closer, easing his weight onto Dracula’s body, and bringing their mouths so close they were nearly sharing breath. It felt perfectly natural to let himself lean that last inch further, and lay a soft kiss on Dracula’s mouth.

They’d shared a few soft kisses before, in the baths when Eskel had tended to Dracula after a particularly nasty fight. But they were brief and not the norm for how they interacted. That whole evening had shown Eskel that he did have some desire for men, and Dracula and Alucard in particular. 

Dracula had been willing to let Eskel take his own tentative steps in exploring this attraction. Maybe he wouldn’t mind a little more kissing.

Eskel let his eyes flutter nearly shut, and kissed Dracula again. It was just a brush of lips, and he found himself licking his lips after, chasing the taste of Dracula’s skin. 

Dracula was relaxed beneath him as he allowed Eskel to take the lead in ways he’d almost never done before. It was always such a push and pull thing with him. Yet this time Dracula was easy under his hands, letting Eskel dictate the tempo and the type of touch. 

Eskel felt the way Dracula parted his lips to the kiss, but didn’t try to take over the action. His hands travelled over Eskel’s sides and back slowly, tracing the scars and muscles there. He didn’t push for more.

That was nice. Very nice, and mildly unexpected. Maybe Eskel shouldn’t be surprised, with how Dracula had let him do the same thing in the baths. It made him relax a little more down onto Dracula’s body, and he licked carefully at Dracula’s lips. Over the plush swell of them, and then inside, for a deeper kiss.

He’d never made out with a man like this before, had never felt the slightly rough slide of trim facial hair against his skin as he pressed them together. It was unusual. Not unpleasant, though. Different enough that after only a moment or two, he pulled back to rub their cheeks together. His lips were wet and hot, and Dracula’s mouth was so sweet. Too sweet to ignore for long. Soon, Eskel went back to rubbing their lips together, sometimes pausing to lick or even gently suck at them. He tangled one hand in Dracula’s warm hair and marveled at how touchably soft it was.

He knew it was just the position, just a deliberate ploy, but how they were laying together made him feel more in control, more confident. For once he wasn’t in opposition to Dracula’s never sated hunger. Instead, _Eskel_ was the one to start the encounter and lead them both along. He shifted, lesting his weight on to one elbow. All the while, he made sure to cover as much of Dracula as possible. Better to be cautious and curtail his movement than to let Dracula suffer from the sunlight. 

Eskel sighed, a little torn. 

“On one hand,” he whispered into Dracula’s lips. “The sun is very warm. Feels good. Really good.” He paused and rubbed his lips across Dracula’s, and then kissed down to his chin. The hair of his goatee was softer than Eskel expected, and it was surprisingly pleasant to leave little kisses there.

Dracula made a grumpy sound, lips twisting at the mention of the sun.

“Mmmm,” Eskel said soothingly, and nuzzled into Dracula’s cheek. “I’m always cold. The heat feels good.” He shook his head a little and stopped himself from dipping down to lick at Dracula’s neck. “On the other hand, if we weren’t in the sun, I could kiss along your jaw. Down your neck. I remember what that tastes like.” He breathed the words out, letting his lips ghost over Dracula’s skin. The heat of the sun baked into him, making him go more and more boneless with every passing minute. 

Dracula shifted his legs, tangling them together with Eskel’s, pulling them closer. Eskel was all too aware his groin was pressed to Dracula’s stomach, their bodies aligned almost perfectly. Dracula’s hands were roaming under his jacket, his shirt all but rucked up to his armpits by now.

“Are you going to bite me?” Dracula let his hands drag down the curve of Eskel’s spine until they found the little hollows above his ass. 

Wasn’t that a thought. Eskel had to pause and consider it, the feel of Dracula's skin in his mouth, warm and alive. 

He swallowed, and let out a slightly shuddery breath. 

“I might, but you said if I bit you, you’d fuck me right there and then. And I’m…” He shook his head and another shiver worked through him. “Not ready for that.”

Dracula chuckled, his fingers digging in briefly into the muscles of Eskel’s lower back.

“Hmm, I’d hoped you forgotten.”

Eskel snorted. “Unlikely.” He rubbed his lips across Dracula’s wet mouth again, so soft and open. “I would like biting you, I think. I like the idea of marking you.” He had to huff in amusement. “For all the good it would do.”

Dracula sighed.

“Nobody can mark me.” He sounded sad about it.

Eskel hummed sympathetically at him. He knew just how much both Alucard and Geralt wished they could mark Dracula up. 

“Still,” Eskel said. “I don’t think I was much of a biter before this, before you. But I think I’d like to do it anyways.”

“I’d like it, too,” Dracula said with a toothy smile. His hands flattened against Eskel’s back and slid down, somehow managing to slip under his belt and the waistband of his pants to grab two handfuls of Eskel’s ass. 

Eskel startled, jumping in place and making a noise that did his dignity no favors. Quick as could be, he snaked a hand back to grab Dracula’s arm and pull it up. “Above the waist, please,” he choked out.

Dracula had the gall to look disappointed. He outright pouted at Eskel, until suddenly his face brightened and he smiled at Eskel.

“Of course,” he agreed, clearly trying to look demure but failing utterly.

That was suspicious. Extremely suspicious. Eskel narrowed his eyes at Dracula, but eased back down as the vampire’s hands moved back up to his waist.

It took another minute or two to start to feel that boneless relaxation come back. But the heat of the sun couldn’t be denied, and Dracula’s hands were very nice on his sides.

“Where would you mark me?” Dracula asked with that low rasp to his voice that Eskel secretly loved. His hands were stroking up and down Eskel’s sides slowly, soothingly.

“Hmmmm.” Eskel thought it over for a moment. “Shoulders. Neck. Maybe chest.” A little extra heat dusted across his face as he thought about it. He could bite and suck love marks into all that pale skin. Maybe Dracula would like that, some playful biting and nibbling. Lots of women seemed to enjoy how Eskel used his mouth.

Eskel could feel it when Dracula found the three scars running from the lowest ribs on the right side to the shoulder on the left. He felt him trace the scars up, over Eskel’s stomach and higher to his chest. “Only maybe?” Dracula murmured and spread his hands over Eskel’s chest, framing his fingers around the swell of Eskel’s pectorals.

The blush on Eskel’s cheeks grew a little warmer as he thought about it, and a mix of slight embarrassment and something else fluttered in his stomach. “I don’t know if I’d like it yet. Or if you would. I know what women like, but… maybe men are different.”

“I can tell you right now I would enjoy you trying.” Dracula shifted his hands so that his thumbs rubbed very lightly over Eskel’s nipples. The touch shouldn’t feel like much and yet it sent tiny, pleasurable shivers down Eskel’s spine.

“I like it when you mark me,” Eskel said quietly. “Your bite is confusing, but… good. I like that your marks mean something.”

“Alucard, Geralt, and you are the only people who have ever felt pleasure at my bite,” Dracula said, never stopping his light, teasing touches. “I can drain a person's life in less than a heartbeat.” His voice dropped and the rasp became more pronounced. “For you, I make sure it feels good.”

Eskel had to close his eyes, take a breath, and let his head hang down a little. Dracula’s words mixed up with the feeling of his hands on Eskel’s chest, making him feel shivery and confused.

“You have no idea how much I appreciate that it doesn’t hurt,” Eskel said, voice rough and low. “Everything always hurts. I think I’d let you drink from me even if it didn’t feel good. I know I offered Alucard the same thing already. But it’s…” Eskel swallowed and pressed down into Dracula’s body. “It's really nice that it doesn’t.”

Dracula shifted under him, spreading his legs enough to let Eskel sink closer to him.

“I like you, I won’t hurt you needlessly.”

That made Eskel huff a little in sad amusement. “Only when you need to then.” He shook his head, dismissing any negative thoughts about that phrasing. He knew why Dracula said it that way, and he didn’t blame him one bit.

“I promised once, that I wouldn’t hurt the person dear to me. It taught me to never promise such things again.” Dracula’s voice was quiet and pensive.

“I don’t mind,” Eskel said softly, curling in to lay a kiss on Dracula’s jaw. “I trust you.”

“Witchers.” Dracula huffed almost soundlessly; Eskel felt it more than heard it.

Dracula let his hands slide to Eskel’s back and pulled him lower, urging him to rest more of his weight on the vampire. Since that felt exactly like something Eskel wanted to do, he went with it. He let himself rest fully on top of Dracula and enjoy the firm press of their bodies, and the comfort of that embrace.

It felt ridiculously good to lay there, and Eskel melted into it. Even kisses felt like too much work and he found himself just nuzzling into Dracula’s jaw.

“You feel good,” Eskel mumbled contentedly. 

“You make me feel good,” Dracula said. The rumble of his voice vibrated through his chest. His fingers dug into Eskel’s back lightly, possessively. “I won’t let you go.”

Pleasure curled up inside of Eskel and he squeezed Dracula tight for a second. 

“Would you mark me?” Eskel asked quietly. “Don’t need to bite. Just something…” Something to make him feel good. To feel wanted. Something extra to remind him that _someone_ cared. 

The feel of Dracula sucking a mark into his skin was just as good as seeing the bruise or teeth marks later. The experience was so much _more_ than anything he’d ever gotten from lovers in the past, and it meant so much more than sex to him. It was both pleasure and belonging. Safety and care. 

This sunny afternoon was good, and right in this moment Eskel felt treasured and wanted. But sooner or later it would be done, for a variety of reasons. It would be nice to have a little mark to keep him company when he was alone again.

“I really want to bite you,” Dracula murmured in a quiet, raspy voice, “but that’s because I really want to fuck you.” He sounded incredibly satisfied about that fact. “I’ll mark you another way.”

Dracula shifted his hands, pulling one out from under Eskel’s jacket and sliding it behind his neck, under the sun warmed hair and gripping firmly. He pulled Eskel up, making him stretch over Dracula, with his head arched back ever so slightly. Then Eskel felt his breath against his neck and wet lips touching the bump of his Adam’s apple. Dracula slowly pressed his mouth to Eskel’s throat. The tips of his fangs just barely brushed the skin in the warm circle of his lips, teasing tiny shivers to life. 

Then he began to suck. It felt undeniably good. Kind of tingly and incredibly sensual as Dracula sucked hard at the vulnerable skin. 

The placement was unexpected. Right over the windpipe rather than along the side where major veins were located. Eskel shivered in a whole different way as he felt teeth scrape right over where he took breath. Dracula’s tongue dragged over the lines of the scars there, leftover damage from the wound that permanently ruined his voice. Both Dracula and Alucard seemed to love Eskel’s scars, but Eskel had never felt such attention on this particular one. He’d never realized how sensitive he was there. Most of it wasn’t even the sensations present; it was the fact that Eskel was letting something with sharp teeth so damn near the very wound that had nearly killed him. Fuck, but he’d spent weeks after that relearning how to eat and breathe normally, let alone _speaking_. 

And yet here he was, letting Dracula do _this_. He was letting him put that dangerous, wonderful mouth right over those scars and nibble and suck and tease.

Heat flashed through him and he squirmed a little in Dracula’s grip. It wasn’t a conscious movement, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. Dracula’s hand tightened, keeping him in place with ease. Eskel kept forgetting that for all his enhanced strength, he couldn’t match the sheer power Dracula was capable of.

It took him a moment to realize that the tingling was more pronounced than normal -- even more than his new skin sensitivity warranted -- that there was a tinge of dark power in the air. He twitched when he realized Dracula was using his power to make the mark last, probably more than any ordinary mark would ever last against witcher healing.

A soft _oh_ escaped him, and he pressed himself closer to Dracula, digging one hand into the grass next to Dracula’s head. His cheeks grew warmer and his eyes fell closed. Dracula was giving him what he asked for, _exactly_ what he wanted. 

The feel of that hot mouth on his neck brought up the memory of the many times Dracula had fed on him, and the mind numbing pleasure that bite brought. A tightness coiled up in his belly. Just a bit, but he knew that interest was likely enough for Dracula to smell. The way they were pressed together meant Dracula probably felt it, too, though Eskel was nowhere near fully hard. He couldn’t find it in himself to be more than a touch embarrassed, though. The mouth on his neck and the hands holding him in place took up the vast majority of his attention.

“Once I get you under me, naked and willing, I will mark you everywhere.” Dracula licked at the still tingling mark in between each sentence. “I will make sure you can't hide the marks no matter how hard you try. Everyone will know what happened.”

A hard shiver raced through him, and his cheeks burned. Eskel wasn’t quite sure what to say about that. Part of him loved the idea of Dracula lavishing so much attention on him. But the idea of anyone else, any casual passerby, seeing how marked up he was and actually caring was a mildly baffling one. Sure, Eskel could expect to get a little friendly sass from the other Wolf witchers, if he saw them. But he took ridicule from most other strangers he encountered as a matter of course. They already assumed the worst from every little nuance of his appearance. Being covered in lovemarks would only change the flavor of the insults for a while.

Alucard might have a few things to say, though. He certainly had some kind of thoughts on the matter already, even if he tried to keep them to himself. But he got this _look_ when he saw them that made Eskel think that something was going on in his head. Probably more possessiveness. Alucard had more than a touch of that tendency himself.

“Every little piece of you,” Dracula rumbled, sounding pleased, and bit lightly at Eskel’s neck, just scraping his teeth over the skin again and again, reawakening the sting.

Eskel licked his lips and tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out at first. He swallowed hard and tried again, hyper aware of how the bob in his throat rubbed up against Dracula’s lips.

“You mark me up that much and I won’t be able to get out of bed.” His voice came out rougher than usual, but at least he was able to speak. He dug his fingers a little deeper into the grass and squirmed minutely.

Dracula chuckled then and licked playfully at the sensitive skin. “That’s the goal,” he purred.

“You gonna take care of me when I’m all weak like that?” Eskel asked, one part curious and two parts interested. Images raced through his head of being warm and sore and held. To his mild astonishment, the idea of it didn’t sound so bad. He hated being unable to defend himself, but Dracula could and would keep him perfectly safe. 

“In my bed, all you need is my power. It would feed you, heal you. Everything you are in my hands.” Dracula’s voice was soft, almost dreamy as much a fantasy as a promise.

The thought of it was a little overwhelming.

“I’m not human,” Dracula reminded him. He pulled Eskel down to rest fully on top of him again. “No need to assign human limits to me.”

“Is that how it is with Geralt and Alucard?” Eskel asked, curious. “They tell me about you, but they talk about other things.”

Mostly they had a habit of telling Eskel all the details he never wanted to know. Gods, but those two were into some kinky things. Now that Eskel himself was contemplating sex with Dracula, the oversharing was more interesting, but he still had learned far more about Geralt than he ever thought possible.

“Geralt belongs to me,” Dracula said with a fierce kind of possessiveness. There was a very faint shiver of power in his voice. Then his voice gentled. “...In ways you don’t,” he allowed. “Alucard is the closest to an equal I will ever have.” Then Dracula smiled, a slow, wicked smirk full of dangerous things and promises. “I can sustain both on my power alone. It pleases me, _greatly_.”

Something about Dracula’s explanation made a tiny spike of pain go through Eskel’s chest. Geralt and Alucard held Dracula’s love, first and foremost, and they always would. Eskel knew this already. He’d always known this. Whatever he and Dracula shared, it would never mean as much to Dracula as his true loves. There was no doubt in his mind that at best, Eskel was a pleasant distraction. 

The idea of it shouldn’t have bothered him. Witchers were heartless, and only Geralt was the exception to that. Eskel had lived his whole life with the knowledge that he shouldn’t ever expect love and that he probably wouldn’t have the capacity for it anyways. Seeing Geralt find a way to make it work was astonishing, but Geralt had always defied expectations. 

But having Dracula here in his arms, Eskel _wished_. Just a little.

It didn’t matter. He was damn grateful for what he could get. Eskel shoved away the little pangs of disquiet and pressed himself down on Dracula’s body. This was good. This was more than he’d ever hoped for already. 

“I like the idea of you taking care of me,” Eskel said quietly, almost bashful. “Like after Alucard bonded us. I liked how you held me.”

“I like taking care of you,” Dracula admitted. “I find it very rewarding.” He shifted, undulating his body enough that they briefly rubbed up against each other very pleasantly.

A little jolt of pleasure raced down Eskel’s spine. Again, he was tempted to try and bury his face into Dracula’s neck, but the sun still beat down on them, hot as ever. It was exceptionally difficult to keep that in mind. All he wanted to do was melt in place. He couldn’t let Dracula’s skin get exposed to the sun, though. Didn’t want something painful and unpleasant to intrude on Dracula’s time here.

The hand on Eskel’s neck was loose now; present but not holding them tightly together any longer. Eskel took advantage of that fact, and lifted up his chin, baring his throat a little more to Dracula, if only to feel more of that breath on his skin.

He felt it, when the darkness rose up. Felt the way something inside him, some primal part shuddered in instinctive response to the shadows creeping up between the grass blades. Up and over, all around him until the day darkened and the sun seemed far away. When the reality around them shifted and twisted, it was almost gentle. His awareness of space and time ceased to exist for a moment. 

His senses returned to the sound of cracking fire and the sensation of silk sheets sliding against his skin. 

Dracula’s bedroom loomed large and lush around them. The drapes were fire red this time, with gold filigree twisting along the edges in fantastic shapes down to the fancy knots keeping the cloth tied to the posters. Black silk sheets and white furs were stretched over the indulgent expanse of the bed itself. A mound of pillows was scattered along the carved headboard, where indistinct clawed hands and fanged mouths took shape in the dark wood.

Eskel shifted a little up as he looked around. It was amazing how Dracula could do this. How he could just _change_ reality. At least in his own domain, anyways.

When he looked down at Dracula, his armored coat and belt were gone, leaving Dracula half naked in only his leather pants. Never before had Eskel looked at a man as powerfully built as Dracula and thought to himself that he was attracted to what he saw, but now he did. He liked the expanse of muscles visible under the deceptively fragile covering of soft, scarless skin. Even the blue lines of his veins were interesting, visible here and there just under the surface.

“Done with the orchard, huh?” Eskel asked with a little smile. He hesitated a moment, and then brushed a few strands of hair off of Dracula’s forehead.

Dracula grumbled something that sounded like ‘sun’ and shifted his face into Eskel’s touch like a cat demanding pets. It was endearing as hell, and Eskel couldn’t help but put a little more effort into the caress. Dracula’s hair was so soft, like spun shadows, and there was still a hint of herbs and summer heat in the scent of it.

Already the absence of that hot summer sun was making itself known, and Eskel held back a tiny shiver of discomfort. He let his gaze trail down Dracula’s chest. 

Quickly, he made up his mind and sat up to strip off his armored jacket and shirt. The leather and cloth was hot to the touch, but being chest to chest with Dracula would feel even better. Eskel paused for a moment before leaning back down, and just looked at Dracula.

Dracula watched Eskel, smirking and pleased. He rested his hands on Eskel’s hips. As always he was completely and unabashedly comfortable in his state of undress. 

“Do you want me to untie my hair?” Eskel asked quietly. “Alucard and Geralt both have a damn fetish.” He smirked a little bit. Gods, they both had such a thing for nice hair. “But I don’t know if you like it, too.”

“I like how messy you look with the hair down,” Dracula purred. “I wonder how messy it will be after our tumble in the sheets.” Then he chuckled. “And it gives me a nice handhold.”

Heat blistered across Eskel’s cheeks and he covered his face with one hand. 

“Oh gods,” he muttered under his breath. Of course Dracula had to say that. He thought about his own extensive experience with using a handful of hair as a handle, and he groaned in embarrassment. “If you want a handhold, you leave the ponytail in. It makes for easier grabbing.” Then he realized what he just implied about himself and what Dracula wanted to do to him, and groaned again even louder. “Gods, why do I ever even talk, what is wrong with me?”

“Does that mean you want me to pull on your ponytail?”

The burning in Eskel’s cheeks redoubled and crept down his neck. He moved his other hand up to join the first, covering up his face completely. It was still such an adjustment to talk specifics about this. Generally, being explicit held no issues for Eskel. Making sure everyone was clear about what they liked and didn’t like was important. But having Dracula talk about the things he wanted to do to him left a fluttering feeling in his stomach. That strange butterfly sensation had left Eskel completely wrongfooted. To the point where he wasn’t sure how to deal with picturing them doing those things together.

_Pull yourself together. It’s just talk_ , Eskel thought ruthlessly at himself. There was no damn need to be so embarrassed. He was never this flustered around women. The hell was even wrong with him?

“Not fond of pulling,” Eskel said finally, rubbing his eyes. “Holding is fine, but don’t yank.” Fuck, did he really just tell Dracula it was alright to hold his head by his ponytail? “I mean, I like it loose or tied up. Either is fine.”

“Don’t worry.” Dracula smirked at him. “I have vast experience.”

Eskel snorted in amusement. That was a given, with Alucard and Geralt as lovers.

The hilarity of that statement was enough that some of Eskel’s embarrassment eased. He rubbed his face one last time and then pulled the tie out of his hair. After a quick shake to settle it into place, he looked at Dracula through a few loose strands. 

“Donno why I’m so nervy,” he said ruefully. “Not like I haven’t had a happy lady or two hold my head in place before.”

There was the small difference of what he was, or would be, doing while being held, but that was edging him back towards being nervous again.

“I am no lady,” Dracula rumbled with a voice low enough to throb through Eskel’s bones. He lifted up on his arms, making the powerful muscles of his chest tense up. 

Yeah. That was why Eskel was nervous, right there. He licked his lips and nodded his head in acknowledgement, his eyes glued to Dracula’s chest. 

“I’m very aware,” Eskel said, his throat dry as a desert.

It was pretty damn clear to him that fucking wasn’t all Dracula wanted. While Eskel had never minded going down on his previous partners, he was a little nervous about the idea of doing the same for Dracula. Especially since the man was hung like a damn ox. How _anyone_ could fit that in their mouth and down their throat was an impressive feat.

Dracula sat up fully, his hands going to Eskel’s stomach and flattening there, all but purring to himself with pleasure. He ran his hands up Eskel’s stomach, fingers spread out wide up to Eskel’s chest and then down to his waist, framing his waist as if he wanted to see if he could circle it with his hands.

“What’s on your mind?” Dracula’s thumbs were making tiny circles against Eskel’s skin.

“Oh you know,” Eskel said, trying to come off casual but failing by a mile. The level of concerned he was feeling was a bit too much to be so easily repressed. “Just kind of worried you’re going to try and choke me to death on your stupidly large dick.”

And he was rather concerned. Justified, he felt, as his concern was proportionate to the problem at hand. Or mouth.

Dracula made a strange sound, half chuckle, half purr and pulled Eskel closer. He pulled him down, rolling them over until he was sprawled on top of Eskel.

“Don’t worry.” Dracula shifted atop him, tangling their legs together. “Nobody has died of it yet.”

Eskel gave him a flat, wide eyed stare. Because, _really_? 

“Breathing might not be optional, but from what I know witchers can hold their breath for a really long time?” Dracula looked expectantly at Eskel.

“Just because something is survivable, that doesn’t mean it feels good,” Eskel grumbled. His heart thumped hard in his chest, both from the sudden flip in position and from the subject at hand.

Dracula shifted, raising himself up to hover over Eskel. His hair fell forward, hiding his face. The ends were tickling Eskel’s skin.

“I don’t expect a performance,” Dracula said in a tone that was the closest to gentle that he ever got. “Don’t worry about it.”

A great deal of tension eased out of Eskel and he took a slow breath. “I’m just...I’m not going to be very good at this,” he said self consciously. 

He wasn’t used to being inept at any physical skill, and feeling unprepared was even worse. Between this new thing developing with Dracula and all the physical changes from the bond with Alucard, the last several weeks had been an unsteady time for him. His body was the _one thing_ he could rely on to do well, and Eskel both prided and pressed himself towards excellence on that. 

This was foolish. He didn’t need to get worked up over it. After all, how different could sex with a man be from being with a woman? And Eskel was particularly fond of pleasing his partners.

“I’ll take care of everything,” Dracula promised, settling his weight on Eskel again, gleefully squishing his breath out of him.

Eskel huffed out a little laugh as the air fled his lungs, and ran his hands up Dracula’s sides. It was both reassuring and fitting for Dracula to say that. He did like to be in control, after all. 

With the heavy weight of Dracula’s body on him, Eskel realized that Dracula was very hard under his pants, and that firm bulge was now pressed rather insistently into Eskel’s groin. To his surprise, he found his own body was a little interested too. Dracula didn’t do anything but press down on him, but even that was enough to make a little more heat grow in his belly.

He looked up to Dracula’s dark eyes. In the dim light of the bedroom they’d regained some of their soft red glow.

“We aren’t in the sun anymore,” Eskel said softly, licking his lips. “Can I still kiss you?”

“You don’t have to ask,” Dracula rumbled, sounding pleased, and shifted up enough to get in Eskel’s reach.

Eskel leaned up and pressed their lips together, chaste at first and then licking in a little. Enough to taste Dracula’s skin and feel the wet heat of his mouth. 

He could feel Dracula pushing into the kiss, deepening it and taking over before he pulled back, giving Eskel space to proceed on his own rhythm. He could sense the tension in Dracula’s body, the need to take over he clearly held in check.

“You’re very good to me,” Eskel said quietly, so close that his lips brushed over Dracula’s as he spoke. He knew how much self control that it probably took for Dracula to hold back, especially considering that he was a being both ruled by and governing over passion and chaos. “Thank you.”

“I have my eyes on the prize,” Dracula chuckled into his skin. He somehow made himself even heavier, squashing Eskel’s breath out of him. Eskel squeaked on the exhale and Dracula chuckled again, clearly pleased with himself. 

The sensation was comforting, in its own way. A little uncomfortable, but reassuring. It set something primitive in the back of Eskel’s mind at ease, because if Dracula was on top of him covering him up and weighing him down, then nothing else could dream of getting to him. He was safe. 

That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to give Dracula shit for trying to press the life out of him.

“One day,” Eskel wheezed. “You are going to do that and squish me until my claws come out.” 

Then he realized what he said, and closed his eyes and _groaned_. That would not in any way, shape, or form be a deterrent to Dracula. Not one bit. 

Dracula wasn’t even pretending that he wasn’t laughing; his whole body shook with it.

“I adore your claws,” Dracula said, his hand finding Eskel’s side and spreading there, fingers looking for old scars.

As much as Eskel wanted to grumble, it was kind of nice that Dracula was so enamoured. 

He could be a bit less irritating about showing that affection, though. Eskel hated it when he got his claws pulled. It startled him _every single time_. Even if he was already watching while Dracula pull them. He could be staring right at it happening and still he would flinch and made a stupid sound. 

And then there was the way that Dracula cooed at them. As if Eskel was some kind of tiny, helpless animal. He was a witcher! Had been killing monsters for literally a hundred years! There were songs about how dangerous and intimidating he was. Granted, not as many as Geralt had, but that’s what happened when you made friends with a bard. At least the number of songs about Eskel’s drunken shenanigans weren’t nearly as many either.

“Yeah, yeah,” Eskel grumbled quietly. “Hopefully they’ll be useful someday. We’re probably both lucky that you want to top. Be taking a hell of a risk with me trying to finger you open.”

Dracula chuckled. “I’m a good at planning that way.”

“Uh huh.” Eskel gave him a dry look.

“Besides, they are very cute.” Dracula nosed at Eskel’s jaw and Eskel wondered if he would bite after all.

His body tightened up a little at the thought of it, and he leaned into the contact. 

Dracula pressed his nose into the skin just under Eskel’s jaw, his breath hot and moist there. His tongue went out for a taste and teeth just barely dragged his teeth over the skin there.

Eskel enjoyed the feeling of Dracula’s mouth on his neck, very much, but he also didn’t want to tease the poor vampire. He couldn’t let Dracula get all worked up and then tell him to stop. Better to be upfront with his wishes and expectations.

“Could we---” He had to stop for a moment and breathe as a strong shudder worked through him, courtesy of the breath ghosting over the wet skin on his neck. “Could we stay like this for a while? I like what you’re doing, how you hold and touch me. Feels good. I don’t want to lead you on, though. So if you want to stop, that’s alright too.”

Dracula made the cutest harrumphing sound and settled himself even more against Eskel.

“You are not,” he said. “I know what’s happening here.”

For a moment, Eskel almost wanted to ask what exactly _was_ happening here, from Dracula’s perspective. At the last second he decided it wasn’t worth it. They were on the same page, as far as Eskel could tell, and that was good enough. 

He twisted a little in place, shifting to a more comfortable position, and then worked a hand up to run through Dracula’s hair. It was very soft under his hand, silky and strong. His body radiated heat and Eskel soaked it up, reveling in the sensation of skin on skin contact. Dracula continued to gently lick at Eskel’s neck, sometimes running his teeth over the skin there or taking a deep breath in, taking in his scent. 

Eskel let himself stay there, warm and fairly squished, just enjoying the contact. For all that Dracula was still aroused, hard and ready above him, he seemed pleased -- content even -- to lazily pet and lick at Eskel. His pleasure was a palpable thing, and Eskel could feel it stirring in the faint echo of Dracula’s power around them. 

This was the kind of touch that Eskel had rarely had the chance to experience. It had almost never happened before the vampires came to Kaer Morhen. It felt decadent, to have this. So easy and natural. Dracula didn’t seem to bother with feeling shame or awkwardness; ‘bashful’ was a foreign term to him. 

All of that made Eskel relax, made him forget about his own nerves and just enjoy the moment. The warm drowsiness from earlier in the afternoon came back over him and he leaned into Dracula’s touch. Soft sheets were at his back and Dracula’s warm body was above him, and the lights were so dim it was easy just to let his eyes slide shut and focus on the sensation of Dracula’s gentle attentions.

He had no idea what he was doing or if it was the right road to follow, but right here and now, he decided not to worry about it and just let himself simply _be_.

The End


End file.
